1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument such as a string instrument, which detects operations of operating elements such as artificial strings to electronically generate musical tones.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-258839, an electronic musical instrument has been known which detects operations of sounding timing determination operating elements such as string members to electronically generate musical tones. This electronic musical instrument as a whole is configured like a guitar, for example, and detects plucking operations of the sounding timing determination operating elements as artificial strings provided at the body of the electronic musical instrument, and generates musical tones according to the resulting detection signals. In this electronic musical instrument, the pitch is determined using a pitch determination operating element provided at the neck, and the sounding timing determination operating elements provided at the body are plucked to determine musical tone generation timing and control the progress of automatic performance.
Further, in this electronic musical instrument, when any of the sounding timing determination operating elements is touched with a finger, the level of a musical tone generated correspondingly to the touched operating element (CH: channel) is lowered by a predetermined value (e.g. 20 db) so that the musical tone can be muted. Therefore, it is possible to generate natural musical tones when the operating elements are plucked again.
In this electronic musical instrument, however, to mute (silence or damp) a musical tone, the player must be quite experienced in playing the musical instrument since he/she has to instantaneously recognize one of the sounding timing determination operating elements, which corresponds to a musical tone being sounded, and touch or depress it with a proper intensity. In particular, it is difficult for a beginner inexperienced in playing the musical instrument to touch a proper string to be muted because he/she is apt to focus all his/her attention on sequentially sounding musical tones.